


The Edges of Infinity

by solsethegreat



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Demonic Possession, Demons, Fantasy, Mild Language, Other, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 09:47:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 20,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13656474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solsethegreat/pseuds/solsethegreat
Summary: Buffy encounters a group of demons called 'The Three of the Heartless,' who refer to her as the keybearer. What does this have to do with Buffy, and does it foretell an impending apocalypse?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So a big trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3 dropped today and I haven’t really said much about it but I figured now is as good of a time as any to let you know that I have reformatted a crossover fic from ten years ago that I quite like after going back and rereading. It’s based solely off of Kingdom Hearts 1, as at the time I had not played 2 and there wasn’t a lot of KH material out, but then again this is fanfiction so what does the canon matter anyway?

 

**The Edges of Infinity**

**Prologue**

**Sunnydale, 2002**

  
Buffy sighed as she walked her usual rounds through the Graveyard. Ever since the whole ' _ Willow Smash  _ ' incident, things had been rather quiet around the 'Dale, save for a few vampire happenings and a drunken bar fight or two between a couple of demons at Willy's. Other then that, nothing. Sunnydale High recently reopened, though, and that was a little entertainment for a while. Dead kids, long story. Spike had returned from his little trip to wherever it was he went, and Buffy felt that he hadn't been all there lately. The life, although as much an oxymoron that is, appeared to be gone from him.

Something was wrong, and Buffy couldn't quite put her finger on it.   
  
But that was the least she was focused on. No vampires? What the hell? She didn’t like it. It  gave her the feeling of impending doom. The calm before the storm, or whatever that term was.   


That’s how she felt.   
  
"Vampires? Here Vampy vampy vampies!" Buffy said, looking around.   
  
"Oh c'mon! Throw me a bone here." She said, sitting down on a tombstone. Bored out of her mind, Buffy looked contemptly at her nails, then at her wristwatch.   
  
"You'd think I would've brought some gum..." She said, now talking to herself, keeping herself company.   
  
Then, an axe slashed downward smashing part of the grave on which she sat. Buffy quickly rolled forward, barely missing the slice of the blade. Buffy pulled a strand of her hair back behind her ear and looked brazenly up to her opponent. Opponents, actually. There were three of them, each with a different weapon, all looking the same. Black as night, but with bright yellow eyes to contrast. Each warrior had a suit of armor bearing a symbol that looked...actually...very Mickey Mouse-ish.   
  
"Oh what, you swing an axe at a girl but you don't even say hello?" Buffy said, jumping into action. She performed a sweeping kick, which sent one of them flying on their behind, then she jumped up and punched the other in the face. The third swung his mace at her head, but she just simply ducked and watched it slam into the other demon guy instead.   
  
"Hey, watch out! You'll put out an eye or perhaps break a nose! You don't want a broken nose,  do you?" She looked at him smiling, but then he started to swing the mace around again. Buffy  complied by punching him in his barely-visible nose, which he grabbed, dropping his mace.   
  
"See, I told you!" She said, once again with a grin on her face. She shot a quick kick to his groin, then did a sweeping kick while grabbing the mace. When she swung back around, she swung the mace at his head. followed by a deafening yet grotesque crack. Buffy quickly got to her feet and patted her hands together.   
  
"One down..." She said, but before she knew, Her head was flying into a tombstone. Ouch... Buffy opened her eyes to see a very blurry demon guy raising his sword for the kill. Without a second thought, Buffy thrust her legs upwards, knocking him down and forcing herself upward, to where she was in a crouching position over him.   
  
"Ah, ah, ah!" She shook her head and her finger in unison. The demon cracked his head upward, sending Buffy flying backwards. And with cat-like reflexes, he went on her again, this time with the sword to her throat. Buffy placed her hands on both ends of the blade and heaved as she pushed him off, trying to keep her cool, even though she was slicing her hands open. She got the upper hand and pushed the sword against his throat, and pushed yet harder until it sliced right through his neck. Scrambling to her feet, Buffy swung the sword in a few fluid motions as if to intimidate the final demon with the axe. After dazzling him with a few fancy sword tricks, Buffy kicked the axe out of his hands and thrust forward with the sword, piercing the weak area of the armor and twisting the sword, but making sure she didn’t kill him.   
  
"Alright, I'm gonna ask you once, and then I'm gonna get testy. Who are you guys and why are you here?" Buffy said, smiles all gone and a grimace overcoming her face.   
  
"Why would I tell you, keybearer?" He said, trying to be strong, like a captive trying to keep his  secrets from the enemy. Buffy's eyes widened at the mention of 'Keybearer.' Did this guy know  about Dawn? Was there another hell beasty trying to get back to its own respective dimension?   


Buffy twisted the sword harder and watched his facial features contort.   
  
"Now you didn't answer my questions! And how the hell do you know about the key?" She said,  yelling at him now. He started to laugh, but Buffy started to slide the sword around in him and  watched his eyes widen.   
  
"Okay, okay... We are...or were...the Three of the Heartless. We were sent here to stop you from  preventing the rise of our master with the key. Ansem will live!" He said, then he starved to laugh  again. Buffy raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Thank you, now say cheese." She said, watching him give her a confused look.   
  
"Chee...?" He started to spit out before Buffy chopped his head in half. Then Buffy rested the  sword on her shoulder and watched as all three bodies disintegrated.   
  
"All in a day's work..." She said, walking off.


	2. Chapter 2

Sora fastened his hand around his Keyblade. Ansem was mightier than ever, now in his full  _ Kingdom Heart _ form. Donald and Goofy were down, but not out. Sora was alone. He had fought so many battles by their side, he didn’t know if he could go on. But even now, as Ansem, in his monstrous form, Sora stood tall.   
  
"You obviously underestimated the power of darkness, boy!" Ansem yelled down. "I have opened the door to every man's heart. Soon you shall all be consumed by the heartless!"   
  
"You can take my heart, but you could never take the feelings I have had, the choices I have made, the path that I had followed with can rip it from my body, but never my soul." Sora courageously looked up at him. He cackled.   
  
"Silly, silly boy." Ansem grinned. " You think we're nearly through? Its only beginning!"   
  
He then raised his hand to deliver a blow that would no doubt kill Sora if it landed. But something happened...   
  
They were on a beach. The island that he was sure he had destroyed. But more importantly, he was in human form again.   
  
"Wha..." Ansem said, looking around. "Did you do this boy?"   
  
Sora was unsure how to answer him. He had not done anything, other then stand up to him.   
  
"I told you. You can never take my soul." He smiled. Ansem grimaced, then looked up. It was night time now, and the moon illuminated their bodies, making their flesh seem like conduits of power. Ansem grinned at the sight he beheld. A single star twinkling in the distance.   
  
"Well." He said, turning back to Sora. "It seems I was right. We are just beginning."   
  
He cackled, and started to fade into darkness. Nothingness. He was gone within seconds. Sora shook his head and ran over to where Goofy and Donald lay.   
  
"Garsh, Sora. Did we win?" He said, scratching his head once he sat up.   
  
"I don’t think so. I think we have one final keyhole to seal before it's through." He said, staring up at the single star.

  
  
*** * ***

The voices...   
  
Spike sat in darkness in the basement below the school. He never felt so alone, yet so smothered. Every person he'd ever killed, all there, at once. He wished he could rip out his brain and stomp on it until the thoughts went away. Oh the pain. He wondered how Angelus dealt with it when he first received his soul, and how he refrained from staking himself.   
  
Spike used be be madly in love with Drusilla. He never understood her. Her rambles, her visions, nothing. He only understood their passion. Their crazy love for each other. But now he did. He finally understood the driving force that made her crazy. The force that made her see the stars through the ceiling. He felt if the voices went on anymore that he too would be like that. He didn't want to be. He was always used to being the level headed one, and if he was to be crazy, then what?   
  
"The stars..." He could hear Drusilla talking, even though she wasn't there.   
  
"I can see them. They're all being eaten. Like lemon meringue pie on a warm summer day. Can't you feel it?" The voice said.   
  
"No...No! Why are you here? Why do you torture me so?" Spike yelled, pulling at his hair and crouching in a corner.   
  
"Love, I'm here to warn you. Something's coming. Something will happen. The stars are falling, like London Bridge. We're next. We're next in line to fall. Are you going to be enough to save us?"   
  
"...Me?" He said. " No... I don't know. LEAVE ME ALONE!"   
  
And silence... It was gone, but the eerie mood still remained.


	3. Chapter 3

  
Buffy wiggled her pencil in her fingers while she sat at her newly acquired counselor's desk. It had been a week since her encounter with the 'Three of the Heartless' or whatever they called themselves. She'd been through so much in the past week and a half. The re-opening of the school (now with angry spirits), the three, Willow and the Gnarl, and... Cassie.   
  
Buffy tried not to think about it. She knew she couldn't save everybody, but Cassie... She was so young. Had so much going for her. What, with her art and poetry. She was destined for greatness, but fate had other plans. She reminded Buffy so much of herself. The loneliness, the need to be loved, the dreams of someday ice-skating at Rockefeller Center. It was too hard for her.   
  
Buffy had so much going on that she forgot to mention it to Willow. She would mention it to Dawn, who was really great at research nowadays, but she didn't want to worry her. She would lose Buffy again if it came to it, and Buffy was more than willing to give up her life for the greater good again. Buffy picked up the phone off of her desk and dialed in her number. Willow would surely be home today.   
  
"Will?" She said, hearing her on the other line.   
  
"I'm going to need you to get Xander and Anya together for this afternoon. Something apocalypse-y is afoot yet again in Sunnydale. Shocking isn't it?" Buffy said sarcastically.   
  
"O-okay buffy." Willow said, slightly yawning. "Any specifics? Anything you can tell me over the phone? Research?"   
  
Buffy smiled and thought 'That's my girl.' Their friendship had remained strong, even after six and a half years of heartache and death, not to mention trying to kill each other on more than one occasion. Willow was always bookish and very useful, and she was always enthused when she got to help. Aside from that, she was a powerful wiccan. Buffy was so very proud of her at times, for how long she's come.   
  
"Not at the moment. Just don't tell Dawn, okay? I don't want her to worry." She said through the phone, twirling the cord in her hand.   
  
"Alright, Buffy. I trust your judgement. I'll see what I can do."   
  
"Oh and Willow." Buffy said clutching the phone.   
  
"Yeah?" She answered back questionably.   
  
"Thank you. I just want you to know that we all love you for doing these things." Buffy smiled.   
  
Willow blushed on the other end. "Thanks Buffy. It's okay, really. I'll try not to kill you guys again." She said with a little humor. Smiling, Buffy hung up the phone.

  
  
*** * ***

  
  
Buffy sat down on the sofa next to Xander as Willow and Anya sat in the chairs across from her. She looked around at everyone as if to imply that it was important.   
  
"Well?" Anya said, urging her to start. " Hurry, my ass is numb and I'm hoping I won't be here all night."   
  
Buffy raised an eyebrow, then started.   
  
"About a week ago, I fought these guys. They called themselves the 'Three of the Heartless' and..." Buffy sighed briefly, then went on. "They said something about the Key."   
  
Everyone went silent. They all knew what happened the last time some baddie mentioned the Key. The world came closer to ending then than it ever had before. To lighten up the uncomfortable silence, Xander chimed in.   
  
"Why do they always come in threes?" He said. They all looked confused at him.   
  
"Well, there was the three, and there were three gentlemen, and three assassins. And now these guys. Crazy."   
  
They all kind of giggled. It was true, which was exactly what made it funny to them. Buffy continued.   
  
"Anyways. They said something about their master. Handsome... er, no. Hanson..." Buffy wracked her brain trying to remember.   
  
"Oh yes, because we all fear the all-mighty MMMbop." Xander smiled.   
  
"Oh yes, that song was truly terrifying. They use it for torture now in the lower levels of hell." Anya said, looking around. " Im serious."   
  
"Ansem! Yeah, that was it." Buffy exclaimed.   
  
"So, Buffy, Were there any marks or symbols or anything on these guys?" Willow asked.   
  
"Well... They all had tattoos of a black heart on their right shoulder. And... Oh," Buffy shook her head.   
  
"This will sound strange, but they had a Mickey Mouse symbol on their armor."   
  
They all just stared blankly.   
  
"Do we... know any demons that worship cartoons?" Willow said, raising an eyebrow.   
  
"Umm... May I just say what's on everybody's mind. HUH!" Xander added.   
  
"I'm being serious guys. I'm not saying it IS a mickey symbol, just strikingly similar." Buffy said.   
  
"Well I find it truly terrifying." Anya said. " if an oversized rat is real, then what about that gigantic bunny?" Anya shuddered.   
  
"Well, I can look through the books on the heart symbol, but I don't know about the mouse thing. I may have to consult the web for that one." Willow said, preparing to go research.   
  
"Remember guys. Don't tell Dawn. At least not until we know what it is we're dealing with." Buffy said as everybody scattered. It would be a looong day.


	4. Chapter 4

  
"Buffy, I think I've found something!" Willow said with that 'AHA!' tone in her voice. She had long since given up on looking through though the books since they didn't seem to appear anywhere. Buffy came over on cue and sat down next to Willow and her laptop.   
  
"I managed to hack into the Initiative's database. It seems the heartless have appeared before. There are quite a few articles here on them." Willow looked at Buffy, giving her an accomplished grin.   
  
"They all have a tattoo of a black heart trimmed in red at least somewhere on their body. But nowhere does it say anything about the strange, mickey-like symbols." Willow said, with a frown as she clicked on one of the links.   
  
"Well, what about the past appearances? What do they do? How are they killed? Where are they from?" Buffy said, putting a hand on her chin.   
  
"They've appeared once before in full force. But they weren't as coordinated as the ones you talk about. They appeared to have attacked at random, and that was the first time they had ever appeared. Their forces were taken down about 25 years ago, by a slayer named Nikki Wood."   
  
"Nikki Wood. Sounds familiar." Buffy said. "So they weren't coordinated, huh? What about now? How recent do the attacks go?"   
  
"It goes back to about three years ago. The Gentlemen were heartless. Wow, guess we kind of took care of those. Nowhere does it mention them working under the influence of someone though. They only have recent files on them, so they apparently aren't of earthly origin. You can kill them by way of normal demon slaying, I guess, since decapitation, stabbing, fire, etcetera all work on them."   
  
"But the Gentlemen were different. I had to kill them with a scream." Buffy added.   
  
"Yeah, but they are a special kind of Heartless. Various Heartless do have to be killed certain ways, but Id say about ninety percent of them can be killed by the good ol' hack and slash method, judging from the articles."   
  
"Goody. Hack and Slash equals a fun time in my book. So nowhere does it say anything about this Ansem guy?" asked Buffy, who was now standing and pacing about the floor.   
  
"I could check again, but so far, no." Willow said.   
  
"Ugh, guys." Xander said, running in the room. "Outside, quickly!"   
  
Without hesitation, Willow and Buffy followed Xander outside. When they got out there, Anya was already there pointing to the sky, and Dawn ran out after them.   
  
"What IS that?" She said, a panic in her voice.   
  
"I don't know." Anya said. "We just got back from the Magic Box's ruins, where we had to see if the Demon Codex was still there, and we just saw this thing in the Sky."   
  
Buffy looked up. There was a huge brightly lit, multi colored streak across the horizon. At the end of the streak was a larger ball of light that looked like it was crashing into the Earth. Within seconds, the light disappeared into Sunnydale Forest and an eruption of trees flew upward. Whatever it was had landed.   
  
"Buffy..." WIllow started to say.   
  
"You say these Heartless things aren't from Earth? Well I say that if that's the case, then they just came from the mothership." Buffy said sternly. "Im going to check it out. You guys stay here and learn all you can about these things."   
  
She quickly ran inside and grabbed her coat, along with a sword. Then she walked down the street and into the night.

  
  
*** * ***

  
  
"You call that a landing?!" Donald yelled with his crackly duck voice to Chip and Dale, who were piloting the thing.   
  
"Sorry! It's just, this world is so different. It was hard to find a proper place to land." Chip said.   
  
"Whatever the case, we are stuck here for a while. It could be a few days before we get this thing in the air again. The engine's blown." Dale said, without even moving.   
  
"How do you know that? You haven't even left the cockpit!" Donald said crabbily.   
  
"This is my baby. Trust me, the engines blown." Said Dale, raising his eyebrow.   
  
"Well, we shouldn't waste time here. We really should go look for the keyhole before Ansem reaches it."   
  
Sora said, spinning his keyblade around.   
  
"Garsh, He's right, Donald." Said Goofy.   
  
"Oh alright!" Donald said.   
  
"Let's go!"   
  
They went outside the Gummi Ship. It was dark. The forest seemed to be alive, like it was watching and waiting for its chance to strike them down. Sora shivered. Halloweentown was creepy, but this place was just menacing. They reached the edge of the forest within seconds. It seems they weren't as far in as it seemed. This was more of a suburban area, no businesses in sight, just houses, and a graveyard.   
  
Sora walked in a straight line with Donald and Goofy. He was getting a bad feeling about this place.   
  
The next thing he heard made his heart skip a beat. Footsteps. And not just Donald and Goofy's footsteps.  _ Others _ . Sora grasped the handle of his blade and closed his eyes, hoping it was just a small Heartless. He turned around, and was followed by a confused Donald and Goofy.   
  
It was only three people. Three human people. Or so they seemed.   
  
"Whoa. I have seen some freaky demons in my day, but a duck and a dog? Is the human with you?" He said.   
  
Donald and Goofy looked at him all confused.   
  
"I'm taking that as a no. So, boys, let's eat."

  
  
*** * ***

  
  
Buffy went into the forest. There was an upheaval of trees everywhere, and in the center, the cause of the multi-colored catastrophe from earlier. Buffy walked over to it and looked it over. It was a spaceship of some kind, but made of a strange material. She pushed onto the side and was surprised to see that her hand actually pushed inward. It was so squishy, how did it ever make it through space?   
  
"Geez, All this way in a giant jelly bean?" She said to herself, and looked around for a door. There didn't seem to be one, if there even was one. The whole ship smelled like fruit, the cheap kind of fruit that they put in candy or shampoo or something.   
  
"Strange." She said, looking it over again. She didn't see any sign of life, so she decided to call it a night.   
  
That was, until she heard an explosion in the distance.   
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

It was cold. That's all that Ansem could remember waking up in a darkened alley, while inside the body of the young boy he had captured so long ago. Riku was it? Not that it mattered. He was a mere vessel for his safe travel. Using his small boyish hands, Ansem pressed his body upward and sat up. He looked around at the darkness surrounding him. Nothing out of the ordinary. It smelled like popcorn and coffee beans, with an added aroma of garbage. In Riku's body, Ansem walked out from the alley. He turned around to see two large glowing fluorescent signs, "The Sun Cinemas" and "The Espresso Pump." Shaking his head at the humans walking to and fro, Ansem continued down the street until he reached something that caught his eye. The Sunnydale cemetery, or one of them anyway. He walked through the black iron gates and looked around, caressing each headstone as he passed by. Heartless had been here. He could feel it.

Ansem walked over to a large mausoleum and traced the lettering with his fingers. Bixby is what it said, not that the name mattered, since the person lying inside it was probably rotting. What drew him to this particular tomb was the aura it gave off. Heartless seemed to crawl everywhere within it, yet he couldn't sense the presence of any just yet.

"Odd..." He said, scratching his head.

"No. What's odd is a little boy roaming the cemetery at night." Ansem turned around to see a blonde girl, kind of short, but older and tougher than she looked. "Don't you think, Ansem?"

"H...how do you know that name?" He said, raising an eyebrow to her.

"Oh please..." She said, walking around him and then sitting on a tombstone behind him. "You don't honestly think that I wouldn't know one of my loyal followers when I saw them?"

"I... I FOLLOW NO ONE!" He yelled out, smacking at the air with his hand.

"Oh, but you do." She got up and twirled about. "You don't really think that the Heartless was all your doing? You may never have seen me before, but I am everywhere. I am evil, pure incarnate. The First."

She watched as Ansem squirmed about feeling really unsettled. He didn't want to believe that the Heartless weren't all his.

"I made them and I opened the darkness to your heart. Sure the rest was all you, but only because I have bigger plans for here." Noticing him grow more anxious, she patted along the side of the tombstone she sat on, offering him a seat beside her. When he sat down, she comforted him with her words.

"Oh, it's okay. It was a brilliant plan. You've made me really proud."

"I...I don't know how to believe you." He looked down to her. Sighing, she got up and morphed into someone...else. Maleficent?

"Believe." She smirked.

"Yeah... yes."

Feeling a great sense of empowerment, she smirked and morphed back and forth between all Ansem's minions that had ever died in battle. Jafar, Ursula, Clayton, Hook, Sephiroth. With each word she spoke, she assumed a different form.

"Want to make me really proud?" She grinned. Ansem replied in awe with a nod of his head.

* * *

Buffy ran. She heard explosions and yelling. She wasn't going to let anyone else die. She couldn't save Cassie, She couldn't save Mom, and there were countless others she wasn't able to save, and she wasn't about to allow it to happen again. She could stop this.

She ran into the small neighborhood subdivision of Sunset Park and saw it. Three vampires, a young boy, and what looked like two demons in a brawl. The short, bird looking one raised his feathered hand and one of the vamps caught fire. Screaming and yelling, he flipped over a garbage can before turning to dust. The other two, however, weren't doing as well in battle. Not hesitating, Buffy jumped in and staked one of the vamps while kicking another in the chest.

"Hi." She said, before tumbling over and staking the other in the chest.

"I'm Buffy. And you are..." She said, stumbling to her feet. "...Donald Duck and Goofy?"

"Hey! She knew our names!" Donald quacked out.

"Garsh, but how?" Goofy followed, in rapid succession. Buffy raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"You two don't know you're major pop culture phenomenons. At least tell me why you're out here fighting demons in animal-suits instead of spandex unitards? Did I miss some new sort of superhero fashion show or something?" She said, reaching for Donald's head and pulling at the top. To her surprise, all she got was a fistful of feathers. In pain, Donald yelped and stamped and angrily prepared to shoot off a spell at her, only to have Sora's hand back him away.

"I take it you're not wearing costumes?" Buffy giggled nervously.

"Hello." The young boy said, stepping forward. "I'm Sora, and we have a lot to talk about."


	6. Chapter 6

  
Buffy handed Sora a warm glass of herbal tea that Willow had made. It was supposed to clear the mind and energize the body...or something like that. The whole group just sat around in shock, staring at each other. No one could believe that two legendary cartoon characters were standing in their presence...in the flesh!   
  
"This is so weird..." Dawn said, kind of excited by the whole situation.   
  
"Cartoon characters are actually real?"   
  
"It's entirely possible. There have been theories that for every world we create within our minds, a new world is born. It's possible they've come from another dimension. Maybe even the one without shrimp!" Anya explained, then realized in terror that if they were real, certain 'other' cartoon characters could be real.   
  
"You don't happen to know any overgrown bunnies do you?" She asked. Donald looked at her oddly.   
  
"No... Sora, can we go? Let's just do what we came here to do and get on with it. I doubt the girl can be of any use to us." Donald quacked out. Buffy glared at him.   
  
"You realize you're an oversized 'entree, don't you?" She smiled. Sora just sort of laughed and then regained his composure.   
  
"Donald, be quiet. You saw the girl kill those...things. She may be able to help us stop Ansem and the heartless."   
  
"What did you say?" Buffy turned and looked at him in slight shock. "You know about these heartless things?"   
  
"Well, they landed soon after you were attacked. I'd say coincidence is not an option." Willow added.   
  
"Yes." Sora looked around at everyone. "We... Donald, Goofy, and myself that is, fight them. We almost destroyed their leader, but before we could, he escaped. It appeared he had not yet conquered all of our worlds. There was just one left to be tainted..."   
  
"Us." Buffy looked at him. "So we are the last dimension not yet over-run by these heartless things, right? That means this Ansem guys here. What does he want?"   
  
"I'm not quite sure. I think he's just been driven insane by the darkness in his heart. But one thing’s for sure, he wants to drive all of our worlds into total darkness, overrun with heartless."   
  
"And how does he do it? Conquer our world, that is." Buffy questioned the boy once more.   
  
"Well, he had to take a princess from each world. Technically, they don't have to be a princess, just a girl pure of heart. Once he has them, he takes the energies from their hearts and opens the universal keyhole, plunging our whole universe into darkness. He succeeded...well, somewhat... before we fought. But then, this world just appeared. It seemed to throw a wrench into the whole system. He has to conquer this world and find a princess first."   
  
"Wow. But he's not gonna have any luck finding royalty in Sunnydale. We're princess free!" Xander laughed.   
  
"Well, theoretically, it doesn't have to be a princess." Anya said. "Didn't you listen to the boy?"   
  
"So how do we stop it?" Buffy said.   
  
"There is no stopping the heartless. They'll be here until he is destroyed. We can however delay him. You see, every world inhabited by the living has a center of mystical energies, a heart, so to speak.   
  
On this spot, there is a keyhole. If you seal a keyhole, heartless activity will decline by, well, a lot, if not completely." Sora said. "And we do it with this thing."   
  
Sora smiled as he held up the keyblade, as if it was some brittle holy artifact. Buffy looked at it in awe, reaching out for it. As soon as she touched it, it shook furiously and glowed. Sora looked around worried.   
  
"Goofy, Donald. What does this mean?"   
  
"Gawrsh...It can't be can it?" Goofy looked curiously at Donald, who replied.   
  
"This girl is a keybearer... There is another blade in this realm!"   
  



	7. Chapter 7

  
Ansem sat in the center of a pentagram, cross legged in Riku's body, shirtless. His face was painted crimson with the blood of an innocent, someone that the mysterious shape shifting woman had seen on the street and told him to kill. He then dragged the body through the mausoleum named 'Bixby.' Apparently it led not to a tomb, but to a complex system of caverns under the city of Sunnydale. The woman knew this, and followed him every step he made, whispering delicious evils in his ear, unspeakable crimes to be committed only by the blackest of hearts. And he would comply, knowing it would help him achieve his ultimate goal.   
  
Now, in the center of the blood formed pentagram surrounded by candles, he began to chant. Though he didn't understand the language, he knew it would work. She told him it would. She told him it would put those do-gooders in their place. She had to be right.   
  
" _ König der Könige, Herz der Herzen, Fleisch des Fleisches, Seele von Seelen; _ _   
_ __ um meine Schwärzung zu bewirten beschwre ich thee; um mein Bieten zu tun über diesem; Bann hinaus zum meiner gefallenen; Verbündeten anzuheben um den; Feind und für immer den; Fluch sie zur HÖLLE zu töten! "   
  
He screamed out the words to the spell. As he did so, the ground began to rumble. It shook furiously, and rocks began to fall from the roof of the cavern. The flames on the candles shot up impossibly high, before fading to darkness. Four sets of hands punched through the cave floor, cracking open the earth and exposing what lay beneath.   
  
"Now the real fun begins..." The First said, looming over his shoulder.

  
  
*** * ***  


"So, What exactly are we doing again Willow?" Anya said, holding an odd bag of dust in her hand as she sat in front of the Keyblade.   
  
"Simple. We simultaneously pour this dust on the keyblade and this map..." Willow said, pointing to the map in front of her. "...and wherever the other keyblade is, it will make a pretty sparkly thingamabob on the map."   
  
"Okay...But I'm not going to have sex with you just because we do a spell together." Anya told Willow with an odd quirkiness. Willow gave her a slightly confused look, then rolled her eyes. Spells can't be intense with just anyone. It would never be the same as with HER. Tara. The only person in the world who could make Willow forget about everything around her. She could melt into her arms. But never again...Not since Warren...   
  
No, She couldn't think about it. Too much of a risk of turning black and veiny.   
  
"Ready?" Willow nodded to Anya, as the others gathered around. They poured the dust at the same time, and a vibrant flash of light filled the room. The map of Sunnydale glowed with such intensity.   
  
The the light centered down to one place on the map.   
  
"Our house? Willow that has to be wrong." Buffy said, crossing her arms.   
  
"I...I don't understand. I did everything exactly as I was supposed to... wait, the lights moving. It's walking into the room..." Willow looked up. Dawn danced into the room with a sly smile on her face.   
  
"Watcha' doing?" She smiled as Willow and Buffy exchanged glances.   
  
"Dawn... It... It's all making sense now. She's the keyblade, or has something in her that will find it. But how?" Buffy glanced at Dawn and back to Willow.   
  
"Excuse me... what?" Dawn started to protest.   
  
"Maybe her blood has the same effect on the keyblade that it does portals." Willow looked up at Buffy. "I read about a spell that can create a new weapon by combining blood with the old one. We don't have to put her into any danger, just maybe prick her finger with a pin to perform the spell."   
  
"I...I don't know, Will. Last time something like this happened, it was all apocalypse-y. I don't want to put Dawn into anymore danger." Buffy said.   
  
"Well, we don't have to do anything right away. Ill research more on the spell before we act on it.   
  
I don't want to see anything happen to Dawn either." Willow said.   
  
"Excuse me! We haven't got any time for this! Let's get this over with!" Donald quacked. Buffy gave him an angry look and walked over to him, picking him up by the feathers on his head. He yelped in pain and looked up at her.   
  
"Look. She is my little sister and means more to me than anything in this entire world. So I suggest you rephrase that before I decide to have Orange Duck for dinner." She scowled at him, then sat him down. Everyone else grew quiet. Then the earth shook.   
  
  



	8. Chapter 8

  
The quake didn't do much to the residential area of Sunnydale, but it completely ravaged the downtown area. The Bronze was still in tact, save for one of the walls, which had a huge crack down the middle. The boutique across the street from the Sun Cinemas was completely destroyed, as for the Sun Cinemas, it might have to shut down for a few weeks for repairs. Coffee spewed out everywhere from the busted machines in the Espresso Pump. Chaos ensued everywhere. It was as if someone had done something to make this happened.   
  
And knowing Sunnydale, someone probably had.   
  
Buffy knew this. Earthquakes of this proportions rarely happened without an apocalypse following eagerly behind. And with chaos came demons. Demons who wanted to feed on all the free game, running around like dishes on an all you can eat buffet. Buffy couldn't let that happen. It was her job.   
  
She came upon a group of demons all decked in black leather, who looked similar to the demons she had fought after she was resurrected. Only this time, she was at full strength. Two of the demons were attempting to pillage a store, while another was chasing around a small brunette woman a little shorter than Buffy.   
  
"Hey." She said, standing with firm confidence. "Did your mother teach you any moral values?"   
  
She did a quick cartwheel and smashed the one chasing the woman in the face with her fist.   
  
"One, you should always respect a lady." She said as she swept him off of his feet and shoved the small blade she had been hiding in her pocket into his chest. Afterwards she flipped up from where she was kneeling.   
  
"Two..." She began to say, but before she could finish, a black ethereal energy swirled up around them. It began to swirl faster and faster before penetrating the two demons like a sword's blade. They screamed in agony and collapsed.   
  
"Hmph... That was easy..." Buffy boasted, then went to go check their bodies. She knelt beside the first one and reached for his face slowly. Something wasn't right.   
  
The demon quickly rose again, knocking Buffy down. As Buffy lay, the demon walked to her and wrapped his hands around her neck. He was different... stronger. His skin had turned from a rosy hue to a dark grey, and his eyes were a solid yellow. Not yellow like any vampires eyes. This yellow emanated power. Darkness.   
  
The two of them locked eyes and stared for a while. Then, a commotion started behind them. The other demon had risen, and that boy named Sora was there. The two were trading blows, but before long, with one mighty swing of his odd looking sword, he had knocked the demon through a wall and he evaporated like water.   
  
As he was looking, Buffy kicked the other demon in the face. Before long he was back on her again, growling and snarling like a rabid dog. They both had a hold on each other, but she kicked him three times in the side and swung him around, flinging him down on to the broken glass from the window the demons had broken earlier. The glass penetrated his neck, lopping off his head. Then he evaporated too.   
  
"Those were..." Buffy started to say.   
  
"...heartless" Sora finished for her.

  
  
*** * ***

  
"Downtown's safe once again." Buffy said as she walked through the front door, Sora not far behind. Willow seemed excited and had that 'I've got useful information!' look on her face.   
  
"What happened?" She said first.   
  
"Met another one of those Heartless guys. Two actually. Thing is, they weren't Heartless to begin with. Just regular old demons."   
  
"What!" Donald quacked, jumping up.   
  
"These things were different...stronger than any we've faced." Sora said.   
  
"And it was like this cloud just possessed them. Gave them power." She continued.   
  
"The Initiative's database never mentioned non corporeal possession by a Heartless. This must be something new entirely..." Willow said rubbing her chin. "Anyways, I've found more info on the ritual."   
  
"And." Buffy said, nodding to her.   
  
"Well it does require a drop of Dawn's blood. But the thing is, she's a key to another dimension once again. It will open up a portal to a place meant for only a Slayer. There awaits a set of trials before you are granted the Keyblade."   
  
"Well I'm always excited about getting new toys. You sure it's completely safe for Dawn?"   
  
"Yes, I wouldn't think of it if it wasn't"   
  
"Okay. You and Anya prepare the ritual. Xander." She said looking at him, and he was shoving a few cookies in his face.   
  
"Yesh." He spit out with a full mouth.   
  
"Come with me to question the cartoon people."   
  



	9. Chapter 9

  
"Talk" Buffy said sitting across from the boy, Xander plopping down beside her. "Ansem, what does he plan to do?"   
  
"He wants to fill everyone's heart with darkness. His heartless have just become a tool for this purpose." Sora said.   
  
"Well that doesn't sound so bad..." Xander said. "I mean, everyone has a little bit of darkness in their hearts, right?"   
  
"Xander, I don't think you comprehend what he's trying to say." Buffy looked at him. "Just think of all the monsters we fight everyday. All the hate. The malice. Now think of every single human being walking around with that in their hearts. The lust for blood, for the kill. Every man, woman, and child acting on pure malevolence. It'd be just like that one british zombie flick. Pure chaos."   
  
"Whoa... 28 days later gave me the chills. And now it can be a reality? How the hell do we stop this guy?" Xander gulped.   
  
"I don't know... The most I can tell you is to find the keyhole and seal it before Ansem exposes everybody to darkness. But I can already sense that my keyblades not gonna do it."   
  
"I FOUND IT!" Willow exclaimed running into the living room, clutching a bag of herbs, closely followed by Anya. "It was simple, really. All you needed was a Manticore root, a dash of pepper, and some fancy words."   
  
"And Willow's positive this spell won't suck us all into a fiery hell!" Anya said with a blank face and an amusing quirk in her voice. "Good job." She said patting Willow on the back with her own unique sarcasm.   
  
"A-anyway, Once we open the portal, be prepared to be all quest-y and the like. Apparently the blade is considered a holy item or something, a sort of holy grail... only without the coconuts."   
  
"And I'm sensing there'll be something guarding it, something big... or mildly smelly. Good work, Wills." Buffy said.   
  
"Well that's great, let's go!" Sora exclaimed, jumping off the couch, followed by a jubilant Donald and Goofy.   
  
"Not so fast, Junior." Anya said, staring at him. "Did you forget what Willow said not even an hour ago? Slayers only."   
  
"Yeah, sorry, but only a Slayer can walk through the portal without being, y'know, dismembered... or at least without having an arm growing out of her ass..." Willow said.   
  
"Alright, let's do it." Buffy said sternly, not skipping a beat.   
  
"Wait a second. Am I the only person here who sees the massive amounts of wrongness in this idea?" Xander jumped in. "I mean, the fact that you have to go in alone just screams deathtrap, you sure you don't want to wait until we find a way to go in with you?"   
  
"Xander, I can't wait. The world could end, tonight. And it's not like I haven't done this type of thing alone before."   
  
"Oh yeah. The last time you went to fight something big and evil completely alone you ended up drowning." Xander said.   
  
"Save it, Xander. You can't argue with me on this. I'm going in and I'm going in alone. Willow, prepare the spell."

  
  
*** * ***

  
Willow lit the candles that completed the circle, as her and Anya stood in the middle. Cautiously, she held up a needle and made sure it was clean, then she gestured for Dawn to come to her. Dawn was a little reluctant.   
  
"Oh don't be a baby." Buffy playfully gestured to her sister. "She's just going to poke your finger."   
  
"It's not that..." Dawn looked down. "Last time a portal opened, I lost you..."   
  
Buffy gave her sister sympathetic eyes. "Dawnie, Im coming back. I promise." And then she firmly hugged her sister. "Now go. The worlds'a endin'." She smiled.   
  
Dawn walked to Willow and Anya and held out her hand. "I'll try not to hurt you too much, okay?" Willow said in a caring tone.   
  
"Deus of universitas audite meus votum tear moenia inter dimensions , permissum electus unus expleo suus fatum" Willow chanted. After the phrase was done, she buried the needle into Dawns finger, who then winced. Dawn squeezed her finger into the center of the circle as Anya and Willow chanted the phrase again. It started as a small crackling light in the center of the room, but then slowly expanded as if it would swallow the whole house. By the time it reached the ceiling it stopped growing. Buffy gave a caring look to all her friends, and then brushed her sisters cheek. And then, she stepped through the portal as it closed up behind her.   
  
"Don't worry Dawnie. She'll be fine." Willow said, putting an arm around her.   
  
"She may be," The gang all turned around at the same time to look at who was speaking. "But cutie pie, you won't."   
  
The gang stared in horror at the femme fatale they had thought was long dead: Glory.   
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

  
Buffy looked around as the portal closed up behind her. Darkness. Everywhere was darkness. Buffy was starting to regret not bringing a flashlight. She appeared to be in a cavern, as she could barely see the silhouettes of rock fragments and stalagmites. As she looked around more, she notice a dim glow at the end of the cavernous hall. Buffy had seen that glow all too many times before. Fire. What was it with creepy places and fire?   
  
Buffy felt her way toward the light until it was bright enough to see her way. She was greeted by a large seemingly impenetrable door surrounded by candles. Buffy felt the smooth door with her hand, tracing the demonic designs with her fingers.   
  
"Buffy, I presume?" She jumped, then turned around. It was an attractive black man with a long ponytail and a red leather suit. The suit looked like something from a video game, with an impossible amount of buckles.   
  
"Im Dante. A dimension hopper of sorts. Been assigned by the powers to be your guide through this hell dimension."   
  
"Dante huh? Can I really trust a guy named Dante?" Buffy giggled. "So Dante, what do I have to do? Fight a dragon, kiss a frog, and the like?"   
  
"Not quite" Dante said, pursing his lips. "Though you are correct about one thing, the challenges you face will be great. Impossible for you and I to face alone."   
  
"Hmm, did the powers forget to mention that I'm a slayer?" Buffy scoffed.   
  
"Did they forget to tell YOU that the last slayer who went in alone... well... lets just say she died horribly and leave it at that." He grinned.   
  
"So how the hell are we supposed to get through?" She asked, not wanting to wait another minute.   
  
"The powers have selected at random four champions to help you on your quest for the keyblade. Well, five counting me, but I always come with the package."   
  
"So, these champions. Anyone I know?" Buffy asked.   
  
"Quite possibly. They can be plucked from any moment in time, from any universe." He said. "You could end up working with a six-eyed overgrown squid from narnia."   
  
"Hmm, or a munchkin from the great land of Oz?" Buffy quipped. After she stopped giggling from her own joke, The door began to open.   
  
"Ah, It seems they're done choosing. Why don't we go meet the fellowship, eh?" Dante said, leading the way into a giant atrium filled with beautifully carved marble statues of creatures she had never seen before, and quite frankly, didn't want to meet. Connecting to the grand room were six doors; The one they had just entered, as well as another huge door opposite of it, and two smaller doors on either side.   
  
The first of the four smaller doors began to open, a radiant light much like the one she saw while going through the portal emanating from it. And out stepped...   
  
"Spike?" Buffy said.   
  
"Oh bollox. Where am I?" Spike said adjusting his black duster, his hair a little muddled.   
  
"You okay, Spike?" Buffy asked.   
  
"Long night. Looks to be getting longer. Are we in Peter Jackson's basement?" Spike said, looking around. Dante walked up to him and placed his hands on either side of his face.   
  
"Hey! ‘Least buy a bloke a drink first!" He yelped.   
  
"Be silent." Dante said. "Im putting the jist of what we're doing in your head so I don't have to spend an hour re-explaining everything."   
  
"Oh..." Spike said. Then he shuddered for a moment, as if a whole font of knowledge had invaded his brain.   
  
"Ooooh, sacred mission. This should be fun." After Spike finished his statement, the second door began to open. And out stepped... Buffy? No not Buffy, the Buffy-bot from a few years ago.   
  
"Hello real Buffy. We're very pretty." She giggled. "And Spike. I don't love you anymore. Willow said it was wrong! She's gay!" She said once again, with an inhuman amount of bubbliness. Dante placed his hands on her head and repeated the process.   
  
"Oh my, we'll kill things! It's our job!" She giggled again. And then the third door opened. Out stepped Faith in a white tank and prison pants.   
  
"What the hell?" She said as once again, Dante implanted his thoughts into her head.   
  
"Anything to help, B." She said. All was quiet for a while, and Buffy checked her watch.   
  
"Er... Umm... The Powers must not be clear on their last champion... yep... any minute now." Dante laughed nervously. A flash of light. The last door was opening.   
  
"Xander? What's with the goth-boy look?" Buffy said, raising her eyebrow.   
  
"Slayer..." He said, snarling.   
  
"Im guessing this is one of them that aren't from our universe?" Buffy asked Dante.   
  
"Either that or Harris finally grew a pair." Spike chimed in.   
  
"No you're right. This Xander is a vampire, not from your world. Umm, Buffy, I might need your help on this one." Dante said.   
  
"Already on it." She said slowly walking up to Vamp Xander.   
  
"Oh, scary." He laughed, but Buffy decked him, changing his giggle to a slight whimper. Buffy then straddled him and made sure he couldn't move. "Okay, Devil-boy. Make your move."   
  
Dante walked over and placed his hands on his head and did the same thing he had done to the others. But Xander's face flooded with unconcealable fear.   
  
"What did you say to him?" Buffy asked.   
  
"Oh, I just added what would happen to him if he defied the powers. Something involving a barbeque fork and his man parts." He laughed.   
  
"Well, this is quite the motley crew isn't it?" Faith said, looking around. "So what do we do next?"   
  
"Patience." Dante said. "The fun is about to begin."   
  
  



	11. Chapter 11

  
"So pumpkin, how we gonna do this?" Glory smiled, twirling her golden locks with her forefinger. "I mean, I could just go and snap all your pretty little necks right now, but I just had my nails done."   
  
Dawn started to whimper as bad memories flooded her mind. The last time this happened, Dawn nearly died, and her sister DID die. She didn't want it to happen again. Willow saw her panic and tried to comfort her.   
  
"Don't worry Dawn." She said. "She's probably just that thing that's been screwing with our heads, just chatty, but harmless."   
  
Glory just smiled, then walked towards Dawn and grabbed her hand. "Can this harmless but chatty thing do this?" She said, as she dug one of her nails into Dawn's hand. Dawn started to to tear up, but Glory stopped as soon as she started, then let go. Sora fastened his grip on the keyblade, preparing to strike.   
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, kid." She smiled, winking at him. Then she walked over and patted him on the head. "You and I have a friend in common. Cute kid, 'bout your age, lost control of his body though. Shame, he's under the will of the master."   
  
"Master?" Xander said. "Last time you were here you didn't bow to anybody, now you have a master?"   
  
Glory giggled. "Now, now, zeppo boy, let's look at the big picture. Ansem brought me back from the dead. So long as I help him with his little mission, when it's all over, I get my revenge on all those who stopped my grand descent back home. And trust me Harris, You're not at the top of my favorites list."   
  
"And what makes you so sure Ansem won't just destroy you when he's done? You shouldn't underestimate his power!" Donald quacked. Glory looked at him and grinned.   
  
"Hey, you're a duck. Shouldn't you be where you belong, on a silver platter?" She laughed as he gulped. "Anyway... hey, this is just like old times. Really gets me all nostalgic. I even get to take the little runt away from you again."   
  
Dawn's eyes widened. Did she need to be bled again?   
  
"Seems little miss muffet has all the proper qualifications of a princess." She smiled. Then with a blinding flash, she was behind Dawn. "Big Day. Boss needs your heart." She cackled as she grappled Dawn and ran out the door at superhuman speed. The rest of the group was left speechless.   
  
"And I thought you said there would be no fiery hell this time." Anya said, staring at Willow.

  
  
*** * ***

"I grow tired of waiting." Sephiroth said, flexing his newly grown hands on his newly born body. "Give me chaos, destruction."   
  
The First, still in the Guise of Buffy, smiled. "I like him."   
  
"Patience, my son. Soon Glorificus will return with the girl and we will proceed back to the Hollow Bastion." Ansem said, Sephiroth towering over him because he was still using the body of the child. There was a loud knock at the door, followed by Glory's jubilant voice.   
  
"Yoohoo! I come bearing gifts." Glory cheered. Ansem opened the door and Glory threw Dawn to the ground. Stepping on her back, she knelt down and pinched her cheeks. "Adorable isn't she?"   
  
"Magnificent. Almost looks like her sister." The first laughed.   
  
"You know. I can't thank you enough for the new bod, boss. Life without Ben is so much more fun." Glory said, plopping himself onto the sarcophagus.   
  
"I'm sure this Ben creature was charming in his own right." Ansem said.   
  
"Hardly. All talk and no fight. Kinda whiny too." She said. "So when are we going on our little field trip?"   
  
"Yes master. I'm longing for some bloodshed." Sephiroth joined in. The First smiled.   
  
"See, I told you I knew how to pick 'em." The first giggled.   
  
Ansem picked up Dawn and smiled.   
  
"I think it's about time."   
  
Then a portal began crackling open in the center of the tomb, The First jumping and clapping the whole time. Once it had opened all the way, the four, with Dawn, stepped inside.   
  
  



	12. Chapter 12

  
Aerith looked out into the horizon of the salmon colored sky, the gentle breeze flowing through her brown curls. She brushed a strand of hair gently behind her ear and let out a sigh. Things were still the same. The heartless were still here, and along with Leon and Yuffie, she helped keep them to a minimum in the Hollow Bastion. It was her home after all. She leaned against the railing, looking down into what seemed like oblivion... the Hollow Bastion was so high...   
  
She had been fondling a flower, turning it while she thought. A daisy. She thought to herself what she should do when this was all over, and if Cloud would ever come back home. With a heavy expulsion of breath, she kissed the daisy and let it fall, down into forever.   
  
'KRACK!' a purple bolt of lightning crashed into a lower level of the Bastion. The wind picked up, whipping her hair around like a tiny windstorm. Her breath drew heavier and she began to perspire.   
  
'Ansem...' She thought to herself. Did Sora lose? Did the darkness win? Is he returning to enslave her people?   
  
She didn't think. She just ran. Ran to find someone, anyone.   
  
Then she saw him. That man with what seemed like a permanent scowl on his face. Not that he was an angry person, he was just... misunderstood. She stopped running and panted, shouting his name between breaths.   
  
"Leon... Ansem's back..." She said, trying to catch her breath. His eyes widened and he nodded. He looked over his shoulder to a boy who was sitting on the wall behind him and nodded his head, and the boy ran off frantically. Within minutes a horn sounded, and people were running scared left and right. Yuffie ran to the two, barely slowing down and nearly running into them.   
  
"What's going on?" She asked a little frightened. Leon led the two to the balcony and just stared. Across the way a portal was opening, and four looming figures stepped out, carrying a girl.   
  
"He must've lost..." Leon winced, looking down with gloom on his face. Then he looked at the two with determination.   
  
"That means we're all that stands between them and the end." He scowled. They nodded.   
  
"Let's go."

 

*** * ***

  
The gigantic looming doors opened away from the main chamber. Buffy never looked away. Faith just sighed.   
  
"Ready to go down the rabbit hole, B?" She asked, putting her and on her shoulder. Buffy just nodded. Then the six of them walked through. This wasn't nearly what she expected...   
  
When she looked around, she saw the place that comforted her in her high school days, the place that was practically her home. The smell of musty old books loomed through the air as the dim light's from Gile's old office lit up the room. It was the high school library, as it was before the school was destroyed. Buffy felt uneasy. This wasn't right.   
  
"This is the library! Where is Giles!" The Buffy-bot said with unending cheer, mispronouncing Giles name as she always did.   
  
"This place meant something to you? I told you that it creates the hell from your mind." Dante said, looking idly at Buffy. She just nodded. Vamp Xander plopped himself up on the counter and sniffed at the air.   
  
"Well that's fun..." He smiled to himself. Faith grimaced and walked over to him.   
  
"What?" She asked. He just smiled. Faith grabbed him by the shirt to threaten him, but Spike sniffed at the air too.   
  
"Oh dear..." He said, walking over to the door and opening it. Only it didn't open to the halls of the school. It opened to the streets of Sunnydale. Only they were different, gloomier, if that was possible. Cars and stores were on fire everywhere. Trash littered the streets in layers. The acrid smell of death polluted the air.   
  
"Everyone's dead Buffy." Spike said, stepping out. Buffy followed, along with everyone else. It was a scene from a nightmare. Her nightmares to be precise. What Sunnydale might look like if she ever failed. She choked up a little, Buffy-bot coming to her side.   
  
"What's the matter real-Buffy? You are very pretty, don't be sad." She smiled. Buffy laughed a little, then walked to Spike and Dante.   
  
"Let's just find our first challenge." She said, walking forward.   
  
"Uh, B..." Faith said, standing at the back of the group, looking in the opposite direction with vamp Xander. "...I think we're in the first challenge."   
  
Buffy turned, gasping. There, facing them, was every man, woman, and child that lived in Sunnydale... only they were dead. Or undead. But they weren't vampires. They were zombies, horrible zombies. Their flesh was decaying, their limbs falling off as they shuffled towards them, groaning in some hellish agony. All six of them gradually backed up as they got closer.   
  
"Um, Dante... where are we supposed to go..." Buffy said, clasping her sword tightly. Dante shook his head, hitting buttons on his wrist that called out two blades from each of his knuckles.   
  
"There." He said, pointing past the zombies.   
  
"Figures..." She said with a scowl. "Everyone ready?"   
  
Each person shook their head timidly. And then with a quick battle cry, Buffy lunged into battle…

 

*** * ***

Willow cried. Hard. She felt it was her fault that Dawn was taken. She was the most powerful person there, to her knowledge anyway. Xander held her hand and Anya patted her back.   
  
"It's okay Willow... At least you only let Glory take and possibly kill one person in ways we can't possibly imagine. We're safe!" Anya said with her unearthly perkiness. Willow cried harder and Xander frowned at her.   
  
"An, you're not helping." He said, reaching around Willow for a hug. Anya just pouted. Sora looked at Willow with understanding.   
  
"Don't worry Willow, we'll get her back. We know where they're going." He smiled, grabbing her hand. "We'll take you to her!"   
  
Donald went crazy, jumping around and quacking like a wild man... er... duck. "NO WE WON'T! THAT WOULD BE MEDDLING!"   
  
Willow glared at him, her eyes going black, emotion taking over her. Donald just gulped.   
  
"My best friend's little sister is in danger. One of MY friends are in danger. And you DARE deny me the right to save her?" She said, her voice getting deeper and more commanding with each word.   
  
"Take us to her or I can promise you will pay." She commanded, Donald shaking feverishly now. Sora laughed to himself.   
  
"C'mon. Our ship should be fixed by now." He smiled, leading them out past Donald. Donald scowled and followed.   
  
  



	13. Chapter 13

  
  
Buffy heaved, clenching her chest as she gasped for breath. Everyone was fighting their way through the streets, dispatching as many zombies as they were able to. Everyone was covered in scratches and bite marks, but Dante assured them that it would not affect them. The movies were wrong. Not that it mattered for fifty-percent of the team; two vampires and a robot. But the battle was far from over.   
  
The Buffy-bot swung her leg in a circle, kicking down three of the zombies and stopping in a stance, pulling her fist back to prepare to launch back into battle. But a fourth zombie chomped into her arm. She just looked at it and giggled, grabbing it's head and pulling it clean off.   
  
"I'm not human, silly." She said with an unearthly perkiness. A few feet away, Faith was swinging her arms wildly, fending off the zombies with a jagged piece of wood she found lying on the street. She swung ferociously, taking out an arm here, a jaw there. But she had backed herself into a corner, a position she didn't like. She kicked one zombie, and punched another, but she was still trapped. There was no use fighting back, but she still did. She was about to just close her eyes and give up, but they just stopped attacking.   
  
Just then, she saw Vamp Xander swinging his claws at her attackers, growling like a wild dog. He wouldn't stop beating them, even after they were down. Eventually he just left several piles of gory pulp on the ground. Faith grinned and gave him a wink, and could have sworn she saw him blush slightly, but he turned away too fast for her to know. But she didn't waste time, as she launched herself back into battle.   
  
On the other side of the street, Spike and Dante worked in unison. They were surrounded, but Spike would take one side while Dante would take the other, and eventually they started working together and going after the same groups, Spike beating them and flinging them to Dante, who would then destroy them with his blades.   
  
Buffy watched everyone fight, and she wanted to help them, but she couldn't. She had a responsibility, and she was closer than any of them to the key. But somehow she couldn't turn away. She had to do something... but what?   
  
Buffy just shook her head and stood up. She was going to help her friends. She began to walk but somehow she couldn't. Something had a hold of her. She grimaced and turned around, about to swing... but she only gasped. It was the zombified form of her mother, holding on to her. But she was somehow different from the other zombies. She wasn't as decayed, and she had an almost caring look on her face. And she advanced on Buffy as if to embrace her, but it was in this moment that she bared her teeth and attempted to bite her daughter. Buffy threw her down and backed away, leaning against the wall behind her. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. But the zombie of Joyce just stood up again and came for her once more. Buffy stayed frozen and just stared off as a tear rolled down her face. The zombie moved slower now, and grabbed Buffy, but she didn't even move. Then the zombie slowly began to move its teeth toward her neck. But with a deafening crack, it fell to the ground, and Buffy stared into a pair of hauntingly beautiful blue eyes. Spike had saved her, he had killed her mother... or what pretended to be her.   
  
"It's alright love..." He said in a caring tone, caressing her shoulders. "This is only a figment of your imagination. It's not real, remember?"   
  
She just collapsed in his arms and cried. Faith ran by them, followed by the others.   
  
"There's too many of 'em! Move!" She shouted, kicking in the door of the shop behind them. Buffy and Spike were the last inside, looking around in awe. To their surprise, the shop wasn't a shop at all, it was some sort of mythical clocktower connected to the doorway of the shop in the same dream-like quality that the library doors connected to the streets of Sunnydale before.   
  
"Well..." Faith said, looking around. "This went from George Romero to George Lucas in about five seconds flat..."

*** * ***

Aerith and Yuffie sat on opposite sides of the table in the library of the Hollow Bastion while Leon went over the battle plans with them. Yuffie was excited, you could tell because she was extra jumpy... which was hard for her to do. Aerith tapped her fingernails against the cherry oak wood, biting her lower lip. The other two seemed so confident that they could win this... but were they prepared? If Sora, the Keybearer, couldn't take Ansem out, how could they? But Aerith wouldn't tell them of her doubts. They'd only make some cocky response or say something like 'It's our responsibility!' But she did agree... it was their responsibility.   
  
"...so I thought we'd need some help." Leon continued, Aerith barely listening. She even looked away when the doors creaked open, thinking it was another kid running around the Hollow's halls. But a spiky blonde head walked in, menacing yet with a caring grin on his face at the same time. Aerith squealed, jumping up and knocking her chair back, running into his arms. He laughed lightly and spun her around a little. She teared up a little and reached down and pecked a kiss. Leon and Yuffie just raised their eyebrows. Aerith and Cloud stopped looking at each other for a moment and looked back.   
  
"We were... childhood sweethearts, I guess you would say." Aerith blushed, brushing a hair behind her ear. Leon just shook his head.   
  
"Anyway, Cloud is one of the strongest fighters we know, so I sent Cid for him." He continued. "Cid is protecting the upper half of the Hollow with the Beast. We are the strike team. We go in, we destroy Ansem. Any questions?"   
  
Aerith began to doubt again, clutching her steel rod. "W-what if we can't?"   
  
Leon just looked at her sternly. "Then the world is doomed."   
  
  



	14. Chapter 14

  
  
Buffy climbed the spiral stairs cautiously, careful with her every move. They were so old and rotten that one wrong step could end her life. The others followed behind in similar fashion, all but the Buffy-bot carrying looks of confusion. Dante walked by her side, exchanging glances with her.   
  
"What is the purpose of this... place?" Buffy looked around confused. Every window she passed on the wall seeming to lead into a different, horrific reality, each more ghastly than the next. Each crack in the ancient walls of the tower seeping blood. Sounds of distorted screams and growls ringing through the air, which was extra heavy here. There was an unworldly glow emanating from the door at the top of the stairs, but they were still a few flights away. "Besides being a compilation of Stephen King's greatest hits..."   
  
"This building was built from the spirits of all the demons you've slain. Every inch of it is evil, filled with utter hate for you. It is sort of the 'stone' to your 'sword,' the sword meaning the keyblade." Dante said without breaking concentration, still climbing the stairs. Spike picked up the pace and walked by Buffy when Dante forged ahead.   
  
"Not much for the euphemisms, that one..." He smirked, looking over at Buffy, who shared a small smile with him.   
  
"Yeah... couldn't just go with the 'bad building filled with care bears of doom' direction, could he..." Buffy smirked back. Before long they were at the door, and everyone stepped back.   
  
"Only you can open this door." Dante said with a look. " 'S just part of the rules... serves no real purpose. More like a suggestion, like no white after labor day..." He shrugged.   
  
"I s'pose I'm the only one who can go through it, too?" Buffy asked, stepping forward and running her finger along the contusions of the door.   
  
"We will be able to continue on when the powers feel we are needed. But... yes. You are the only one." Dante leaned against the wall, looking at her. "I don't know what is beyond this door. Like each person who goes through the trials, it is... unique. Built from their fears and nightmares... sometimes meshing together with movies you've seen or stories you've read. It takes every part of your mind and puts it together in a big cosmic blender of sorts. That's why it's for you only... us going in there could mess with your psyche."   
  
"So... big Buffy mindwalk." she said, nodding and brandishing her sword. "Keep your guard up... in case there are anymore zombie versions of the people I know. Or worse."   
  
"Yes! Buffy is smart! We are very pretty." Buffy-bot giggled in agreeance. Buffy just quirked her eyebrow.   
  
"And to that, an extreme see you later." She said, turning to the door and pushing it open, only to be met with blinding light. Buffy could only guess it was so that the others wouldn't see what was inside.   
  
When Buffy came to, she was lying on the floor, sword at her side. The hallways were lit with fire burning brightly on torches that lined the walls at every couple feet. The room she was in was a mixture of rusted, bloody metal grating and cold, fragmented stone. Indeed, this was a Buffy party venue. Buffy got to her feet and dusted her pants off, picking up her sword. She walked along, listening to the strange sounds. The echoes of her footsteps. The scraping of her sword against the steel of the floor. The dripping of... what she hoped was water... in the distance.   
  
A moan. A giggle. Or maybe just the wind. The sounds were playing tricks on her the deeper she went into the underbelly of this place. It reminded her of hell, or the hell she went to when she ran to L.A. senior year of high school. But circumstances were different then. She had just killed Angel, the one man who she truly loved, who would always have her heart, even if Riley and Spike had something else, some other part of her she was willing to give.   
  
A shrill scrape, not unlike the ones heard in the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' films, just before Freddy Krueger killed someone. 'I could kick Freddy's ass...' Buffy smirked to herself, kinda hoping it was him. Because that would be cool...   
  
Buffy entered a large room, which resembled some sort of a twisted chapel. Stained glass windows surrounded her on either side, glowing red with burning fire behind them. The crucifix in the center of the room, atop the stairs, was turned upside down. Much like in those horror films from the seventies about possessed children or houses or something. And a familiar cackling resonated from behind it. Buffy fastened her grip on her sword. She knew that laugh.   
  
"Slayer..." A semi-lisped sinister voice moved closer as a balding man emerged from behind the cross.   
  
"The Master... say, didn't I, oh... kick your ass already?" Buffy shot him a cocksure grin and rested the sword on her shoulder.   
  
"On the human plane of existence maybe. But this..." He smiled, his leathery face wrinkling around his pointed canines. He outstretched his arms and looked at his surroundings. "This is just delicious. A new chance, a new start."   
  
"You're a pawn. You're just too damn self-righteous to realize it." Buffy grimaced, looking up at the man that once terrified her. He was very real in this moment, but he was only being used as a tool by whatever was making her go through this literal hell, and she knew it.   
  
"Oh slayer... I have but one word for you..." He grinned wide, looking like he was about to attack.   
  
"Oh? And what is that?" Buffy quirked her eyebrow, making sure her grip on her sword was firm, so she could counter when he decided to make his move. But her eyes went wide as the Master's head rolled to the ground after a quick swipe from behind.   
  
"Checkmate." A silver haired man stepped from the shadows, his long hair and black coat swaying in the sudden breeze that swept through the room. Buffy didn't know the man, but she knew he was trouble...   
  
  



	15. Chapter 15

Dawn laid on a long granite table, tied down as Glory peered over her with a little giggle. She was fiddling through her make-up bag, pulling out lipstick in deep shades of red. Then she would cake it on Dawn's lips, each shade a little darker than the last.

"Oh... sweetie! You look gorgeous! Just like a younger version of me, y'know, without the omnipotence and blinding beauty and everything." She smirked, reaching for mascara. Dawn frowned.

"Do you always make annoying unnecessary smalltalk with people you're killing?" Dawn squirmed in her bondage, unsuccessfully. Glory pouted and gave her jaw a squeeze.

"I don't LIKE girls with chatty mouths. Unless their names begin with G and ends with LORY, you hear?" She growled, her eyes glowing with intensity for a moment. Then she smiled again and gave Dawn's face a tap. 

"Wow, Dawnie, this is just like old times... Me getting you all dressy, you about to go off and get your heart sucked so we can bring about the apocalypse. All we need is some Cyndi Lauper and it would be a John Hughes film fiesta."

"...My sister will kill you." Dawn looked at her with a glare, her eyes piercing beyond the atrocious amounts of eyeliner Glory put on her. Glory laughed and poked her nose.

"Why? Not a Cyndi Lauper fan?" She grinned. "No she won't. In fact, Sephy is down there right now in her mind. And I'm willing to bet that he's not the one on the pointy end of the sword." Glory gave Dawn an evil knowing smirk, then sat down next to her on the table.

"So! Let's gossip about boys!"

 

*** * ***

Cloud and Aerith walked side by side a little ways in front of the rest of the group as they trudged their way to the center of the Hollow Bastion. They never said a word, they were too nervous of what the other would say, what feelings would come about. Because they had been together so long ago, and now things were just complicated. Cloud was a brave soul, and he decided to take the plunge.

"H-how are you?" Cloud peered over slightly as they walked. Aerith sighed and gave him a shrug, zipping up her pink jacket just a little.

"Oh, y'know. Filled with all-consuming fear knowing that not even the mythical keybearer could kill Ansem. And now a bunch of ordinary people with pointy sticks are all that stands between him and the end of the world... So pretty great. You?" She smiled a bit, clutching onto her rod as they walked.

“Same. Sort of. Don't let the broody demeanor fool you." He nodded, running a hand through his golden spikes. "It's funny, y'know. I worked as an assassin for Hades for so long. Hades. King of Hell. And now I just... I mean is it wrong to be afraid of a mad scientist after working for the devil himself?"

"No. It's not. It's... endearing." She smiled softly and nodded, looking up in his eyes. And then they had a moment... a brief moment that was interrupted by a loud crash in front of them. Yuffie and Leon ran to their sides quickly as they blinked at the smoking destruction.

"You okay!" Yuffie jumped, looking over the two of them. Aerith smiled and nodded.

"Fine, really." She said, looking at the smoke and fire not ten feet from where they were walking. A gummi ship. Sora's gummi ship. Aerith suddenly felt her hope restore when she saw it. After a few moments, the small brown-haired boy crawled out of it with a jubilant smile.

"They still don't know how to fly that thing." He snickered, speaking about Chip and Dale. Aerith ran and embraced the boy, who was quickly followed by Donald and Goofy.

"We thought you were dead!" She said, very relieved now that she knew he wasn't.

"It takes a lot more than a grumpy old man to kill me." He winked. Then new people emerged from the ship. A mousy redhead. A hunky, charming man. A nippy brunette. "Guys, this is Willow, Xander, and Anya. They're here to help."

 


	16. Chapter 16

Buffy didn't have time for this. She wasn't known for her patience, just her 'get-it-done' attitude followed by a barrage of quips. Needless to say after the man spoke she just frowned and walked up, taking a swing of her fist. But it didn't connect with a normal deafening crack like she was used to hearing. No. It was stopped. The man grabbed her fist mid-strike and gave her a glare filled with hate and some sort of sick enjoyment for the duel all at the same time. He began to exert more pressure on her fist until it was searing with pain. Buffy just stared wide eyed at him as he smirked.

"Don't you know who I am?" He asked, twisting her arm and using it to fling her against the wall, where the stone cracked as she collided. She fell and was quickly covered with dust and pebbles from where she had just met with a very painful hit against the wall. The man approached her as she propped up on the palms of her hands, not even reaching for his HUGE sword. He felt he didn't have to. This frail girl would be no match.

"I am the collector of souls. I am the reaper of the righteous." He said with a cold look on his face, giving her face a rapid kick. Buffy grunted and rolled over to her side. "I am the wind, the earth, the sea."

Buffy had enough of this 'I am holy' crap. She stood up, a little shaky and swung a barrage of punches at him, all of which he dodged. She then spun and hoped to connect her elbow with his nose, but he grabbed it, along with her ponytail, and smashed her head into a stone pillar. "You are not worthy of death by my sword. But I have no problem killing you with my bare hands."

Buffy choked a bit on her blood, now streaming from her nose. She had never felt like she was going to lose a fight before, and now she was being thrown around like a rag doll. She had to think. Something. Anything that would keep her alive. Because the world didn't just need her this time. The whole UNIVERSE did. The man still had ahold of her hair and arm, so a straightforward attack was out of the question. Time to go with a time-honored classic.

"W-while you were babbling on about being oh so great..." She managed to choke out before kicking her leg back up as hard as he can, right into his crotch. The man was indeed not immune to that attack, as he doubled over in pain. Buffy was sure that would barely slow him down though. "... you forgot to protect your man-parts."

Buffy wiped her mouth of the blood that had been staining it and then ran. She needed this key thingamajiggy now, because somehow she knew if she wanted to win this fight, it was her only hope. She sprinted down another hallway, lit with fire and filled with rust and otherworldly sounds, then around corners in the labyrinth. She heard a crash behind her, all the walls rumbling as she continued, not looking back. The man was up, and he was pissed. And it didn't help that she had no idea where she was going. It seemed this  _ was _ a maze. Probably part of her trials, but right now, a pain in her ass and not good for her running from this guy.

Buffy stopped for a moment. Things had gone silent. The rumbling had stopped. Not good. Her head shot to her left as a strange buzzing sound began. Soft at first, but then it elevated to a loud whirring, then a destructive rumble. Her eyes widened and she lept out of the way as the wall exploded and the man stepped out of the dust that followed. Not only did it blow a hole in one wall... whatever he had done blew a gaping hole in  _ all _ the walls. Buffy scrambled to her feet but he was too quick. He picked her up by her neck and slammed her against the wall. 

"Now I kill you slow."

Buffy whimpered and clutched at his wrists, pulling at them helplessly, like a fly tangled up in a spider's web. This was it. The end. And Buffy almost gave up. But something caught her eye. A shimmer. A brilliant light emanating from something. Her eyes traveled through the holes in the walls to a sword that laid on a ritualistic looking table. That must be it. "The key..." She managed to slip through her lips as Sephiroth's choking hands tightened around her throat.

"What did you say?" He said, eyes piercing with intensity. Buffy looked back at him and quirked a smile.

"This has been fun.." She said, moving her legs up and grappling his arms, twisting with a loud crack, much like one of those moves you'd see on a trashy wrestling show. The man dropped to his knees and howled in pain as Buffy ran through to the end, approaching the table slowly, just taking in the sight. Her eyes were wide in awe. How could this holy object belong to her? She was just Buffy. Yeah, Buffy the vampire slayer, protector of Sunnydale, the Hellmouth, and now the known universe, but she still just seemed unworthy. She picked it up by the handle and felt the power surge through her, like she was a plug inserted into a socket. She had the power.

Sephiroth rose. He stared Buffy down with the worst of any evil looks she had ever received, even worse than the ones she had the pleasure of receiving from Maggie Walsh. He swung either arm and with a grotesque crackling sound, they were forcefully put back into place. Buffy locked eyes with him and gripped the keyblade tightly. She would win now. She not only knew it, she felt it.

"Prepare to die!" Sephiroth scowled as he pulled out his sword, then sprinted towards her faster than a bloodthirsty cheetah. Steel met steel, and they were inches from each others faces, the zone where you either had to kiss or kill. And Buffy sure as hell wasn't locking lips with the sexually ambiguous girly-man.

"Gee, you seem to be lacking in originality." She said, throwing him back by using the blade for leverage. "I'd consider new writers. Possibly the ones from  _ Friends _ . Their scripts are witty and fun-filled." Oh yes, Buffy was confident now, you could tell by the quips. Sephiroth jumped back to his feet and swung fast, an attack that would slice any normal human in half. But Buffy flipped back on the table over the blade, then connected a strong kick to his face.

"Not feelin' so holy now are we?" She smirked, flipping over him, grabbing him by his long silver locks and slamming his head into the stone table. "Oh. And now we're even."

Sephiroth snarled and butted the back of his head against Buffy's, gripping his sword and taking advantage of the moment, stabbing it into her shoulder. Buffy screamed out loud with blinding pain, and kicked Sephiroth's feet out from under him, yanking out the sword and throwing it across the room, where the blade embedded itself in the wall. She was angry now.

Sephiroth however, was still completely sure he was going to win this fight, and stopped, now unarmed, and began to chant. His hands began to glow and red light surrounded his body. That must've been the thing that made the walls go boom. Oh no you don't. Buffy threw the keyblade at an angle and the bladed end connected right where she wanted. Sephiroth screamed, something he had never done in his life, and collapsed to the ground, quivering, as his hands laid severed on either side of him. Buffy walked over and picked up the keyblade, then took a moment to look over him. He looked pathetic now, just how he made her feel not moments before. Then she howled out in rage and connected the blade with his neck. His head rolled off as Buffy stood straight.

"Checkmate."


	17. Chapter 17

The two groups just stood and stared at each other for a few moments. Leon and Cloud were calculating in their heads whether or not the others could be trusted, if theses perfectly normal looking people would be of any help to them. Sora let go a nervous giggle as he looked back at the people from Earth, Willow and Xander seemingly doing the same as Cloud and Leon.

"Are we gonna save the world or just give each other untrustworthy stares?" Anya blinked a few times, looking back and forth between the two of them. Yuffie and Aerith laughed a bit.

"Sorry, they're intense." Aerith nodded, being the first to break the ice. "I'm Aerith, and this is Yuffie, Cloud and Leon."

"Don't hurt me for asking, but you guys look pretty battle-ready. Bad time?" Xander asked, looking at their weapons. Leon crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall.

"Ansem came through a portal less than an hour ago. We thought Sora had failed. We were going to end it." He said blankly.

"We were going to try..." Aerith added.

"Nice to know that you have faith in me, guys." Sora quirked his eyebrows.

"B-but now you know Sora is alive and we can all wait for Buffy before making a move, right?" Willow asked, looking around at everybody.

"Wait for the what?" Leon asked a little puzzled. "No, we end this. We have to. Whatever he's up to, he's doing now."

"Yeah, if we all want our faces smashed in by red stilettos." Anya said bluntly.

"Listen buddy, This Ansem guy has a new friend. Someone that I don't think you're ready to handle. So if you want to go off and die, be my guest. But we're waiting for Buffy." Xander said, getting his tough guy machismo out for the moment.

"I'm prepared to die for a cause that's bigger than me." Leon glared back at him. "Yeah, Ansem is powerful. Yeah, he might have a new pair of fists at his disposal. But if we wait for whatever the hell this 'Buffy' is, the world may end. And I don't think you want to live through a fiery apocalypse, knowing you could've done something about it."

"Uh, guys. Mystical chosen hero here? I have a keyblade, that qualifies me for a say." Sora chimed in.

"He's right. With the keyblade, he's the only chance we stand without Buffy. We should listen to him." Willow nodded.

"Once again, what's a Buffy?" Leon threw his arms in the air.

"She's a keybearer. Like me." He said, clearing the air. Then everyone looked at him for the next plan of action. He suddenly felt smaller than he should. He was the youngest person there yet he held the most power. "He's right. If we wait for Buffy, we could be too late. We have to go in."

Everyone grew quiet for a moment but all knew what they had to do. "Where is he?"

"Back in the keyhole room. He's got the princesses. Word is he's got a new one." Yuffie said, playing with her shuriken as she sat on the fencepost.

"Dawnie..." Xander and Willow looked at each other.

"He's probably trying to end everything as we speak..." Sora fastened his grip around the keyblade. "Let's end it for him."

Sora said nothing else, he just walked the path he was familiar with. The one that led to the top, where Ansem would be. And everyone followed with no protest.   
  



	18. Chapter 18

Suddenly she was in the middle of the street, just standing and staring. She had just killed a man and picked up one of the most powerful weapons known to man, you'd think she'd be more excited. The five warriors that the powers had chosen for her stood around her. Faith was the first to break the silence.

"Gosh B, you got a new toy. Why the pouty?" She asked, walking up and touching the blade with awe. Buffy blinked and looked over.

"Yeah..." She nodded. "I-I dunno. What now, we seal the keyhole, don't we?"

Dante nodded. "Indeed. Though we don't know the exact location. It could be anywhere."

Buffy looked around. They were on the streets of Sunnydale again. But things were... hellish at best. Cars were on fire. Demons were chasing innocents around. This had to be the other reality, had it?

"Don't worry, I know exactly where it is..." Buffy responded. She just watched the people run screaming. Spike looked at her slightly confused.

"Don't be a hero now, luv." He said with his unique British sense of sarcasm.

"Dante... this isn't... This isn't my world is it?" Buffy asked, still watching the chaos. Dante looked at her and made a face.

"It's supposed to be. I guess the Heartless grew stronger while we were gone." He said, looking around.

"Oh..." Buffy nodded with an almost blank expression. Then without a beat, Buffy picked up a piece of broken glass from one of the smashed shop windows and hurled it at the head of the yellow-eyed ashen Heartless demon that was chasing innocent people around. The monster flew back and convulsed as it connected with his head, protruding from his forehead like an extra appendage. Then the black smoke inhabiting his body evaporated, leaving a demon corpse behind. "There's too much ground to cover between here and the keyhole. If I don't seal it now things could get worse..."

"Forgive me if I missed something, but where is the keyhole?" Faith asked. Vamp Xander was to her side and staring at her jugular, and Faith looked over and rolled her eyes, elbowing him in the gut. Buffy-bot just giggled.

"Faith, this is the hellmouth. Where do  _ you _ think the lock to all evil is gonna be?" Buffy said, beginning to walk, taking no more time.

"The Hellmouth... Bollox, it's in that principal's office, isn't it?" Spike said, adjusting the collar of his duster as he followed behind.

"I'm willing to bet." Buffy nodded, not looking back, just walking and clutching the blade, never wavering in her direction. She walked with a purpose. Demons started appearing out of nowhere. Buffy punched one and flipped him behind her, then kicked another's feet out from under him, and continued to walk. Spike lept into action.

"No worries, pet. You're covered. Just go give that key a twist." He said, cracking another demon's neck. The others began their fight as well, but Buffy still walked.

When she arrived at the high school, she kicked in the locked doors and continued her tread. If one would see her now, they could describe her walk as one the  _ Terminator _ couldn't even duplicate. Demons appeared out of the shadows on either side of her, but she twirled in a circle and remained on track. Every few feet a new demon would appear and would only be met by a quick death from her blade. Oh yeah. She was close. They wouldn't protect something so closely if it wasn't important.

Buffy reached the principal's office and kicked in the doors, and her eyes went wide.

"Oh..." She froze for a moment at the sight before her. There, writhing about, flailing its tentacles and it's multiple serpent heads as it rose through the new hole in the floor, it's scaly skin now black and it's eyes yellow, was the Hellmouth beast. The guardian that she had fought two times before. Once during her fight with the Master, once her senior year when the Sisterhood of the Jhe summoned him. Yep. This, was the place.

Buffy swallowed her doubts with one gulp, then gripped the keyblade tightly, and lept into action. She swung blindly, chopping off whatever she could, black ooze spraying all over her t-shirt and jacket. The keyhole was near, she could feel it. Literally, the key in her hand was vibrating. The beast snapped it's jaws at her, but she did a backflip and cut one of it's heads in half. Where was that damn lock? Buffy did an array of dazzling flips over it's many flailing appendages and landed on one knee, looking around. She couldn't beat this thing. She never did. The first time it disappeared when the Hellmouth was sealed, and the second time it was because of Willow and Giles' magicks. She had to be Brainy Buffy to win this fight, and something told her the keyhole would end this.

Another head lunged for her own, but she side stepped it and grabbed it's long, serpentine neck and twisted until she heard a satisfying snap. Then another onslaught of attacks from its tentacles which she quickly countered with her blade. While she fought, she noticed a glow emitting from below the monster's belly.  _ 'kaching!' _ She thought, then she quickly tumbled until she was at the edge. Yep. There was a room below. The monster had emerged from a well that emitted steam and resonated with tortured screams.

" _ Well to hell?' _ Buffy thought, a little amused. Who knew the old ones were such poets? Buffy jumped in and hacked the steel of the blade into the monster's gut, and slid down quickly, using the monster's stomach as both a way down and a way to damage him. A large gaping wound was now in his underbelly and he shrieked in pain, and due to his size and confusion due to his pain, he just smashed about the room upstairs. Buffy had time.

She looked around quickly, looking for where it could be. But then the keyblade took on a mind of its own. It rose to her forehead, glowing and trembling. Buffy could see through the small gap in the blades a large keyhole on the opposite side of the wall. Suddenly she knew what to do. 

She slowly rose the key until it faced the hole, and it was if the gods began to sing. The key shook ferociously and suddenly a brilliant light shot out of the tip. The demon howled. All the Heartless in Sunnydale howled. And in an instant, when the keyhole was sealed, the demon disappeared.

Halfway across town, Spike was having himself a real good time smashing in the face of one of them. But when they disappeared, he gave a sudden disappointed expression and put a cigarette in his mouth. "Bugger that."

Buffy looked at the key wide-eyed when the job was done. Such power... But her moment of awe was interrupted soon enough. A portal opened on the opposite side of the room. A battle was waging on the other side, and she could hear her friend's voices. Without a second thought, she stepped in.


	19. Chapter 19

Sora led the group through the twisting labyrinth of the Bastion's bowels. Willow walked to one side while Donald and Goofy walked to the other, everyone else behind them in an almost triangular formation. Willow was bringing him up to speed on what he should expect with Glory.

"The only thing that can hurt her is a weapon of a God. Which... I don't know if the keyblade counts or not." Willow said as they waited on the final lift as it made its way to the top. Sora smirked and reached in his pocket, pulling out a stony-looking chain and attaching it to the bottom of his keyblade. The key changed form into a Grecian looking stone weapon. The Olympia.

"Weapon of the Gods, check." He nodded. "Super-strong, mouthy. Anything else?"

"Just... don't underestimate her." Willow sighed, feeling her stomach raise to her throat as the lift came to a stop. They were here. Glory would no doubt be waiting for them. And she wouldn't hide. Glory was too cocky for that. "I think there's something you should know before we go in."

Sora looked at her as they all stepped out of the lift, each person grasping a weapon. Some looked strong, some looked pathetic, but all were willing to die. "Yeah?"

Willow swallowed and looked at the door. "Last time we met... she killed an entire army." Willow said, not stopping to look, just walking forward. Sora bit his lip and followed.

"What! Wait... What!" Donald quacked fearfully. The others shared his dread, but all walked ahead. Aerith looked over at Cloud and gave him a look, then slipped her hand in his. This might be the last time they ever saw each other.

Sora took a deep breath and placed his hands on the door. Willow looked at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Then with a a heave, he pushed it open.

Of course, Glory waited in the middle of the room, smiling like she knew she was going to win. She probably wasn't wrong.

"Gee, you guys took forever! I mean really! I felt hurt that you didn't run or take one of those big yellow bird thingies or something." Glory chuckled, hands on her hips. Everyone stared at her sternly.

"Ooooh. Big scary glares from guys with far too much product in their hair. Really, my heart is palpitating." She smirked, looking around. "So... who wants to die first? Come on... don't make me pick. I'm far too glamorous to do my own work..."

Sora gulped and clutched his keyblade. Glory looked at him dead in the eye and laughed. "Oh my god. You have GOT to be kidding. The kid is the most powerful one out of the bunch? This is... wow... This makes me giggly." She smirked. "Hey, Junior, wanna show me your stuff?" She said, crouching over with her hands on her knees in a condescending manner. Then she stood and raised one hand, and a swirling blackness emanated from it.

"I think me and the kid need some private time. So um... I'll just let my minions kill you." She chuckled as the blackness spread like a viscous fluid. Droplets landed on the ground like rain, thousands, and turned into all different kinds of Heartless, from the basic small cuddly ones to the large, fat, impenetrable ones. Willow and Donald nodded to each other, then began chanting in unison. A sort of armor surrounded itself around Sora. Diamond-like, unbreakable. It would hold for at least ten minutes, but after that, they didn't know what to do. They just hoped a plan came together during the fight. Glory elevated the platform in the middle of the room and motioned with a slinky little finger for Sora to challenge her. Sora double jumped up and the battle began.

Xander and Leon were on the far right, Xander wielding a battle-axe he had brought along from Buffy's chest. Leon chopped several Heartless in half, hacking and slashing his way around, twirling like an acrobat. Xander was much more straightforward, swinging his axe up and down, left and right. Black ooze and mist flying from everywhere the blade chopped.

Anya fought with a sword on the opposite side with the small teenage ninja girl with the funny name. She ran the sword through several wriggly dancing mummy looking things while the girl ran up walls and did an array of flip kicks. It was hard for Anya to focus when the girl insisted on showing her up like that. Of course, Anya wasn't really a fighter. Still, she held her own.

Cloud and Aerith worked in unison. Aerith would bat a Heartless toward Cloud, and he would end it with his sword. If this was going to be their last day alive, they were going down together.

Just under the floating platform, Willow, Donald, and Goofy stood together, taking out whatever heartless challenged them. Willow summoned balls of fire and threw them with explosive force, the Heartless in its wake being thrown about in the air like toys and then disappearing. Donald shot pure energy from his wand which electrified any foe that challenged him. And Goofy? While he was silly and would often let go a 'Garsh!' when he fought, he did fight bravely, viciously dispatching his foes.

On the platform though, things weren't going as expected. Glory had surrounded it with pure energy, so they had a very tight space to fight in. And she used it to her advantage. She picked up the boy and threw him about, smashing him into the invisible walls. The pain would have been unbearable had he not been surrounded by the armor that Willow and Donald put on him. 

Still, he felt no match for the girl. This girl who seemed to be no older than Aerith or Belle. Yet she fought as viciously as Maleficent or Hades. Sora smashed the Olympia over her head and she dropped him to the ground. He took her disorientation as an opening and knocked her down, slamming the key into her face several times. It wasn't a respectable move, it was a move of desperation.

"You... little... BASTARD!" She said, clutching him by the neck, attempting to snap. But the armor was still too strong. Instead, she threw him to the side. Sora crouched on one knee and summoned a powerful blizzaga spell, surrounding her in a block of ice, just to give himself a breather. Underneath the cold prison, she rolled her eyes and broke free, shards flying everywhere. She picked the boy up and slammed him against the wall again, and proceeded to punch his face until she heard a mystical crackling noise.

"Hey kid... think your armor's wearing off." She smirked, continuing to pummel his face. She didn't notice the person approach behind her.

"Hey Glory..." Buffy said, swinging her Keyblade swiftly. Funny... Glory was a lot fleshier than she remembered, because her her torso slid off of her waist like butter. Then she disappated into a dark fog, much like all the other creatures she'd killed. "Forgot to duck."

The walls disappeared, the heartless exploded into a black mist. Each person looked relieved in their own right as the platform lowered slowly to the ground. Buffy and Sora stood side by side, victorious. Willow squealed with excitement and ran to Buffy, hugging her tight.

"Buffy! We thought we'd lose..." She exclaimed. Buffy looked around at everyone.

"Dawn?" She asked. Xander approached and put a hand on her shoulder.

"That's why we went all Mortal Kombat, Buff. Ansem has her. She's the princess." He said, looking to the ground. Buffy nodded.

"You guys... thanks for everything." She said genuinely. Her friends launched themselves into battle to save her sister. They were quite possibly the greatest friends a girl could ask for. "Now let's kill Ansem."


	20. Chapter 20

"Golly gee willikers, I don't like this at all." The First said, shifting to the guise of The Mayor as he circled Ansem, who still inhabited Riku's body like a foul infection. "Seph and Glory were nice kids, and what does that slayer do? Well she chops them up like a sushi chef. I tell ya, kids these days. No manners."

Ansem furrowed his eyebrows. Slayer... Sora's comrade. Just as powerful, or even more so. Doesn't matter. She'd die too. They all would. "She'll die by my hand."

The First turned and faced off the balcony, throwing his arms in the air, shifting into Glory. 

"Y'know, I  _ really _ thought she would by mine too, and what does she do? Chops me in half and ruins my Dolce' and Gabanna dress. I mean really, rude much?"

Ansem just kept his gaze on the First, seeing through all it's veils, seeing it's true purpose: to be his leader. To help him achieve his goals, even if it wanted something else completely.

"Aw... don't get a long face, though, cutie pie. We're gonna make her pay, her and the little brat too." She giggled and scrunched her nose, walking over and caressing his face. Although her hand never touched him, because she wasn't even there. She was just a visual projection that the First used as a tool, a tool that worked extremely well. Glory turned around, and her hair changed to long, raven locks, her red mini-dress changing to a nightgown. She spoke in a lulled cockney accent, almost dreamlike and poetic.

"We will win, my sweet. All you have to do is take that body off. Take it off like soiled knickers." She said, almost swaying about as she spoke. "Show me what daddy really looks like."

Even though she made no sense, to Ansem she did. Riku's body fell to the ground and convulsed, like a fish on dry land. After his violent fit, he grew silent. He wasn't dead, he was just comatose. And before him stood a tall, tan skinned, white-haired man. The First cackled and clapped her hands like an excited child.

"Daddy is beautiful! Like a poem, just like a beautiful poem..." She smiled wide and walked close, moving her hands over his face as if to explore it with her fingertips. Her hair changed hue again, this time light blonde, her body shorter. She was the Slayer. "You want power?"

Ansem grinned and nodded. Would the First finally give him the power he needed to finish it once and for all?

The First in the guise of Buffy gave him the little half-smile that the girl was so well-known for. 

"Give me your hands." She said, and he complied. She lined up her hands with his own, like they were puzzle pieces just waiting to be connected. Then, with a giggle, she pushed forward.

A surge of pain rushed through Ansem's body. A white heat, searing through his muscles, his veins. The First disappeared in a blinding light, fusing inside his body. It was about power. Now he had power. The First was gone, but still here. And he heard her voice.

"Now finish it. You know what to do." The First spoke in his head. He smiled and nodded, then ripped open a portal with his hands, reaching in thin air and clawing at it. The First's power was great. Great and wonderful.

As it crackled and swirled about, Buffy kicked in the large door leading into the room. Sora followed behind, and they both stood stalwart in the doorway, their allies behind them. Buffy often didn't think when action needed to be done, so when Ansem smiled and disappeared into the portal, she ran as fast as she could up the marble stairs, trying to beat the portal before it sealed. She lept through the air just as the portal sealed, and flew across the other side of the room, crashing into the wall.

"Dammit!" She cursed, standing up and kicking the wall, pebbles flying from the spot where her foot connected. The others entered the room slowly, Willow walked up to the balcony where she stood, and moved to the center where the portal had been.

"There's still residue..." She said, feeling the air. Buffy looked up at her and quirked her eyebrows.

"What does that mean?" She said, walking over to the fiery-haired wicca. She looked back and smiled.

"I mean I can open it again. Just give me a few minutes." Willow nodded with her cute little nerdy smile. Buffy smiled back and hugged her friend.

"Um... Buffy?" Xander said from below. Buffy looked over and moved down the steps to where he stood. He was staring into a large glass encasement with a person sealed inside.

"Dawn!" She yelped, running to the glass and pressing her hands against it. She reached back to punch a hole through it, but she was met by chaotic quacking. Donald ran up behind her.

"Dont!" He said through his nasally duck voice. "If you break the seal, you could kill her and all the others." He motioned his feathered hand to the other princesses in their own cases. Buffy bit her lip and helplessly pressed against the glass. Sora walked behind her and looked up with caring eyes.

"That's Kairi." He said, nodding to the case next to her. A small, brown-haired girl in a purple skirt rested peacefully inside. She looked a lot like Dawn. Sora touched the glass just as Buffy did, then looked back up at the Slayer. "She's my best friend. Sometimes she's the only thing that gets me through the day."

Sora looked down moved closer to Buffy. "They're okay. And they will be. I have faith that we can win this."

Buffy tried not to cry as she looked at her sister, but then nodded and looked at the boy. "Thank you..."

Just then, Anya ran down the steps, hopping about much like the creatures she hated, bunnies. 

"Willow's chanting in gibberish. She wanted me to tell you the portal's all ready so you guys can go die in a fiery hell." She smiled with her perky nature. Buffy and Sora looked at her and then each other, and finally walked up the stairs. When they reached the top, the portal had reopened. Still, Willow had an unsatisfied look on her face.

"Buffy... we can't go with you..." She said solemnly. "The portal is only able to withstand two people. Anymore and it could be dangerous for everyone."

Buffy gave her a look, then nodded. "This is it then..." She said, looking around at her friends. 

"Sora and I have the keyblades. We're the only ones who can end this." She said, meeting eyes with everyone. Uh oh, time for a Buffy speech. "You guys are all so strong. I need to know that if something happens... if we fail... you will be prepared to fight. You will find a way to save my sister, and then yourselves. Please, for me." She said with big eyes. Then she sighed. "Let's end it."

And with that, she turned to face the portal. She looked at Sora and nodded, then they both disappeared inside.

  
  



	21. Chapter 21

When they reached the other side of the portal, they were in the dimension that Ansem created for this purpose alone. The End of the World is what he called it. And it truly was apocalyptic. Mashed together pieces of their worlds were strewn about. The beach rocks of Destiny Island. The raggedy buildings of Halloweentown. The central strip of Main Street from Sunnydale. Everything old and rotten, and lacking in color. Ansem had sucked the life out of them, literally.

Buffy gripped her blade tightly. She would kill him. For her sister. For Kairi. For making her day just a little harder. Sora didn't share the same violent sentiments, he just wished everything could be over. But as a thirteen year old boy, he still had yet to develop feelings like that. Years of superheroing hardened you to a point where it was kill or be killed. Buffy knew this, and she knew that she wasn't much older than Sora when her own journey began. Yet she still felt like the fates had a thing for perversion of innocence. The boy still seemed too young. Still, he had proved himself a worthy ally. Hell, he held his own against Glory, which was more than she could say for her first time battling that woman.

The two walked through hallowed halls of castles and empty meadows, all connected in the most surreal, dream-like fashions. They were close, she could feel it. The key trembled lightly in her hand. It was almost like that dagger in that book 'The Hobbit.' She read it freshman year of high school and remembered being bored to death of it, yet she could recall a weapon that shook when evil was near. Handy. Finally, they had reached the point of no return. A light engulfed them and they were on a strange amalgamation of a beach mixed with Sunnydale High. There were pits of fire on either side of them, and the ocean boiled behind them, the sky black without night. Ansem stood in the center, and his eyes literally glowed. That didn't happen before did it?

"The Slayer and the Keybearer come to play?" He said with crossed arms. Sora grimaced at him and drew a line in the sand with the tip of his blade.

"Yeah. Got any games? Because I warn you, I bore easily." Buffy said, holding her keyblade in front of her. Ansem quirked the corner of his lip and moved his finger back and forth.

"Silly girl, I'm not one to trifle with games. I like direct action." He said, holding out his hand as if he was choking something. And the body of a young boy appeared in his hand, struggling, grabbing at the hand, trying to break free.

"Riku!" Sora cried out. He ran forward, but Ansem hissed and moved the boy in front of him, drawing a knife out of his pocket.

"I'd stay there if I were you." He said cockily. "See this?"

He motioned for a circle of rune-covered rocks behind him. Obviously a ceremony was going to happen. A ceremony of evil. With a knife. And a kid. Suddenly Buffy felt sick. 

"You see, you may have your keys and your locks and your fancy superpowers, but I found another way to release the darkness." He chuckled. "When this boy's blood hits the first rune, the princesses' hearts will be harnessed, and the darkening process will begin. When it touches all five, your worlds, all of them, will be plunged into eternal darkness. Everywhere, from here to the edges of infinity."

Sora whimpered, helpless. He tried to calculate a plan in his head but nothing happened. The only thought that raced through his mind was that Riku would die. Buffy knew how he felt. It was just like her scenario with Dawn two years prior. She wasn't going to settle for this. This couldn't happen again. She jumped to her feet and ran after him, howling like a madwoman. She was intent on killing him. But with a flick of his wrist, Buffy flew backward, and was held to the ground by some unseen force. Sora went wide eyed, and tried to move as well, but he couldn't. Yes, the First's powers were working extremely well. Ansem gave them one more sick smile before plunging the dagger in the boys gut, and throwing him in the center of the pentagram surrounding the runes. Sora screamed.

Buffy cried. She didn't know the boy but she cried. And Sora looked back at her. They locked eyes. And in that moment they bonded.

Suddenly, both keyblades began to glow. They rose above the ground and floated in mid air, a loud whirring noise commenced. Buffy looked at Sora. Sora looked at Buffy. Then... their vision was the same. They looked down and saw a single body. The keyblades settled down in each hand, and Ansem went wide eyed.

"What the..." He said, looking at the singular figure standing before him. It was neither male nor female, it was pure concentrated power. Blonde hair, green eyes, short short frame. It was Buffy and Sora combined, and it was something else entirely. "Well, whatever just happened, I'm still going to kill you." He smirked as Riku's blood trickled down the small pathway of the pentagram and met with the first rune. And everything went black.

Ansem's eyes went fiery red. He clawed at his chest and ripped off chunks of flesh. His body grew massive. His head protruded horns, his arms grew into long, taloned claws. He was the physical embodiment of the First's true form. Still, the entity, the being that called itself 'SoraSlayer' stood unwavering. 

"You may be a hero, but can your heart handle my darkness?" Ansem said in a gurgled, throaty voice. He drew his claws back and shot out a black stream of pure evil, piercing the SoraSlayer's chest. The pain was unbearable, and the SoraSlayer collapsed to its knees. Ansem had just filled it's heart with darkness.

But nothing happened. What Ansem had counted on was that they both would have the pure hearts of a hero. What he didn't know was the Slayer was born from darkness. Darkness was Buffy's nature. Dracula helped her prove it, and accept it. The SoraSlayer looked up and spoke with a smirk, it's voice an amalgamation of Buffy and Sora's.

"That... tickled." It smiled, clearly containing Buffy's love for battle puns. It lept into action, swinging both blades in rapid succession, a whirlwind of blades making deep wounds in Ansem's monstrous flesh. He howled in pain and confusion.

"That should have stopped you..." He said, puzzled. Still, he picked up the SoraSlayer and threw it back against a wall, the wall cracking down the middle. The SoraSlayer stood as if nothing happened and walked robotically back to Ansem. He swung his massive claw with enough force to smash the frail little boygirl, but to his surprise, it caught his arm and within a millisecond, cracked it in half. Ansem screamed in even more pain and lunged his other claw. Bad idea. The SoraSlayer brought both blades down and trisected his arm into three pieces. Black goo shot everywhere from the severed arm and he hissed.

"You... How can this be?" Ansem whimpered almost childishly, though he looked like a monster. The SoraSlayer offered no remorse, no sympathy. Just a blank look.

"Blame it on faith." It said, twirling around with it's blades and lopping off the giant horned head. Ansem's decapitated body quivered a few times, then collapsed. It was done.

The SoraSlayer paid no attention to his body. It just approached it's dying friend in the center of the pentagram.

"S...sora?" Riku managed to let escape through his small lips. The SoraSlayer nodded and knelt down, gripping his hand.

"It's me..." It said, trying to fight back tears. Riku gave him a weak smile.

"I always knew you were.. stronger... t-than me..." He laughed lightly and then winced in pain. 

"Why is everything so cold?"

SoraSlayer shook their head and rubbed the back of Riku's hand. "I don't know, friend..." It said, choking a little on a sob. "You... you rest now, okay?"

Riku smiled. Then he closed his eyes. Then he did nothing at all.

Then everything went white.

 


	22. Chapter 22

The First had been defeated. The First wasn't very happy. All it could do was watch from the shadows as the merged form of Buffy and Sora killed it's disciple, then shared one last tender moment with that boy. It made the First sick. Just so it didn't have to watch the moment anymore, it finished it all. Used its powers to restore everything back to normal. Because after-all, if this plan didn't work, it wanted a clean slate. One without that weapon...

The First pulled apart the worlds, put them back together again. Because they all belonged to it, and would be reclaimed by the First again soon enough. Then it hurled the Slayer's keyblade back in time, all the way to the dawn of man. All the way back to the calling of the first slayer. What it didn't count on was the first slayer finding it, and setting into motion a plan of action, a weapon that would destroy it centuries later.

The first slayer passed it onto the second slayer. The second slayer passed it onto the third. And so on. Some slayers modified it. Some magically enhanced it. All so that years later Buffy wouldn't recognize it when it came back to her, she would just know it was hers. The earliest accounts of the blade renamed it, calling it 'The Axe.' And it was eventually lost for centuries, turning into something of an Arthurian legend. And lost it would remain. Until the year 2003...

Nobody retained memory of the events that occurred at the Bastion, no memories of Sora, of the very alive cartoon creatures, of the brave warriors that aided their cause. Spike could not recall the First teasing him in the form of Drusilla, offering him fake prophecies that unbeknownst to the First, would turn out very real in the end. Sora was returned to Destiny Island. His friend Kairi was still by his side, and Riku was very much alive. None of them remembered a thing either. Cloud and Aerith and the rest were returned to the Bastion as if the Heartless had never attacked, and of course, their romance grew, but that is for another story. The inter-dimensional warriors that the Powers had chosen for Buffy were returned to their homes, to their lives. In Prison. In another dimension. In a scrap heap... And Dante, well he remembered all. He was of course the guardian of the gateways between the worlds, and if it ever needed Buffy again, he would be the first to tell her.

After restoring everything, the First returned to his caves like a kicked puppy, working on it's next plan of action, resurrecting the Turok-Han.

Months passed. Buffy found herself in a cave under Sunnydale, talking to a very Lord of the Rings-esque woman. She told her her name, Buffy, to which the woman asked 'No, really?' 

True, Buffy wasn't exactly what everyone pictured as the name of a hero, but it was what Joyce picked for her. And hey... it was the eighties. The woman was killed by Caleb, the preacher-man that both annoyed and struck fear into the heart of Buffy. And after a brief struggle, the slayer's eyes went wide in awe. She suddenly had an odd feeling of Deja-Vu. But when she approached the weapon, pulled it from the stone, she knew the weapon belonged to her all along. And for some reason, a word... no, a name, passed through her lips.

"Sora..."

 


End file.
